To Hunt a Traitor
by daily-chan
Summary: Returning to Hogwarts to hunt down Peter, Sirius meets old friends who are more loyal than he feels he deserves and makes new ones in his hunt for the traitor. Part of the Bond of Family series, though it can be read as a stand-alone if desired.
1. Chapter 1

_To Hunt a Traitor_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. However, since Rowling discarded my favourite characters I picked them up and took them into my care to give them the love and attention they deserve...and occasionally give them reason to need that love and attention no matter how much they deserve it without needing a reason._

 _Summary: Returning to Hogwarts to hunt down Peter, Sirius meets old friends who are more loyal than he feels he deserves and makes new ones in his hunt for the traitor._

 _Warnings: This series contains s_ _trong bromance, can't stomach boys being extremely close without it being sexual, then this is not the series for you and you should hit the return button._

 _Special thanks to my dear friend Kitty; both for your endless patience checking my grammar and for your friendship. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for you._

 _This story is part of a series called A Bond of Family. If you are interested in reading the entire series, then the chronological order can be found on my profile._

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Crouching low behind one of the bookshelves, he held himself quiet as a shadow appeared on the far side of the library; illuminated by the soft light of the patroller's lantern.

Distracted as he had been, he almost hadn't picked up on the approaching footsteps soon enough to hide and knew it had been a mistake to have shifted for this venture.

But he hadn't been able to help himself from gazing at the familiar environment with human eyes, half lost in memories of happier times and as a result it had almost gotten him caught.

He wasn't even quite sure what he was doing there, a trip to the library not having been on his scouting list of the night as he sought for ways to lure out the traitor.

Folding into himself even further as the footsteps stopped momentarily, he waited as the expected wand light shone through the bookshelves suddenly; the footsteps slowly completing the hourly round before quickening again as the patrolling teacher continued his rounds.

Muscle memory held him in place just a little longer, instinctively aware that the footsteps hadn't faded away yet and he remembered that sometimes a teacher would pause just around a corner to listen for wayward students.

And indeed the footsteps picked up a minute later, fading away slowly as the patroller continued his rounds and Sirius slowly rose to his feet again.

"This sure brings back memories of you lurking around in the dark," a soft whispering voice right behind him startled him and he whirled around while raising his arms to try and protect himself instinctively from whatever magic they'd throw at him; only to come face to face with a familiar pale ghost hovering at eye level, gazing at him with an unreadable expression.

"Peeves...ple..." he froze as a loud metallic bang echoed through the library as a large candle holder fell down, evidently having been knocked over in his turn and the distant footsteps immediately hurried back.

"Through here," the Poltergeist shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and hurried over to the fireplace to open a hidden passage and instinctively Sirius followed him, letting the hidden door close behind him; leaving them both in the pitch-dark.

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over him as memories of a similar event rushed forth, intensified as a small candle was lit, lightening their surroundings just enough that he could see Peeves before him.

"Stay here," the Poltergeist whispered, hesitating momentarily before he placed the candle on the ground and disappeared back through the wall; making Sirius tense and he had to force down his immediate flight instinct.

He was fairly sure his old friend had no intention of turning him in if he hadn't immediately alerted the teachers upon first seeing him and wouldn't be hiding him now, but he still couldn't will his muscles to unclench as life had taught him the hard way that even close friends could betray.

A train of thoughts he hurriedly shut down before it could overwhelm him as now was not the time to let his hatred for Peter pull him into doing something stupid, not when it had already cost him so much the first time he had allowed it to do so.

He could hear faint voices through the wall, not clearly enough to identify the speaker but enough that he could hear Peeves taunt the teacher in question; sneering at them even until faint footsteps disappeared again and several moments later Peeves reappeared through the wall.

The Poltergeist stared at him for a long moment, his black eyes shining with the same unreadable emotion from before as he picked up the candle. "Follow me."

Following Peeves through the narrow hallways with a single candle as a source of light brought forth more memories he had believed long lost; making him take a shaky breath as he tried not to lose himself in the memories trying to assault him.

"In here," following the Poltergeist to a narrow doorway, he found himself shying away from the bright light as the pale ghost entered another familiar chamber filled with small beds on the first floor.

"The elves' quarters?" he asked from the safety of the dark, not able to bring himself to enter the brightly lit room.

"The elves are all already up and working so no one will disturb us here," Peeves blew the candle out and seemed surprised that he hadn't entered behind him. "It's safe; no one will hurt you here."

"Why are you helping me?" He couldn't help but ask, remaining right where he was.

"Why would I not?" Peeves seemed surprised at his question.

"Don't you know what they say I've done?"

Sirius automatically tensed back as the Poltergeist scoffed and reached for him, but found he couldn't move further back as he had backed into a side wall; flinching and closing his eyes in anticipation of the pain to come.

Something cold but soft caressed his cheek instead of the expected pain and he snapped his eyes open to find himself face to face with the Poltergeist once more; black eyes staring at him warmly.

"There is not a world in which you would ever be guilty of what those foolish wizards have accused you of doing."

It has been so long since anyone had tried to come near him without the intention to harm that the caress felt foreign and he couldn't stop his body from trembling and leaning towards the half forgotten gesture of a touch not aimed to harm.

"Everyone really should have known better than to ever believe any of it."

"How can you be so sure it's not true? That I didn't...didn't..." Sirius couldn't even finish that sentence in his mind and tears welled up in his eyes, unable to comprehend there was someone who actually believed in his innocence while all the evidence suggested otherwise.

"I know you, Siri, I've always known you," the same cold fingers caressed away the tears he couldn't stop from falling at the soft words and familiar nickname. "The mere suggestion that you would have ever betrayed the Potters is absurd."

"It is my fault that he's...that they're both gone. I should have known...I let them down and they are dead because of me," he pulled away from the Poltergeist, angrily wiping away the tears that wouldn't stop falling even as he let his anger take over, finding it easier to deal with than the never-ending sadness that overwhelmed him if he so much as thought of James or Lily. "I suggested they use Peter...it's all my fault. I should have killed him when I had the chance."

A thunderous expression washed over Peeves' face and the Poltergeist clenched his pale fists. "He was the one to betray them...that explains everything. You were the one who went after him, knowing he was the one to betray them."

"I...yes," telling the truth of what had happened that day to someone willing to listen was surreal, especially when he realised the Poltergeist believed every word and he found himself wondering if he was dreaming and would wake up any moment now to find himself back in his cell.

But he realised he wasn't sleeping when Peeves cursed and threw the candle he was still holding across the room. "I will kill him!"

"Get in line," Sirius growled. "I'll be the one to do that."

"You are not a murderer," Peeves' shoulders deflated as he turned back to him.

"I have killed before."

"In self-defence or because you knew more people would get hurt if you didn't aim to kill, but never out of malicious intent. And although you have every reason to kill the rat, it is not who you are," Peeves said.

"I don't care, he betrayed my family; they are dead because of him. James..." he choked on the name, unable to continue as he bit his lip. "James and Lily...he..."

"Pettigrew will pay for what he did," Peeves promised, cutting through his broken sentence easily. "I knew he was a weasel."

"What?" Confused, Sirius stared as the Poltergeist pulled on his obnoxious hat in anger. "Did you know he was a traitor?"

"No, but I have known he was bad news ever since that Prank. I might have sworn to keep the secret, but that does not mean I have ever forgiven him for letting you take the fall for it. I should have seen the full truth of the weasel he was."

"You couldn't have known he would betray us all," Sirius swallowed. "If anyone should have seen it, it should have been me."

"How could you have?" Peeves let go of his hat again to look down at him. "After everything you have been through together, who would have ever expected him to betray any of you?"

"I don't know, I just feel that if perhaps I had looked a little closer...if I had paid a little more attention then perhaps James and Lily would still be here," wrapping his arms around himself as a cold shiver washed over him, Sirius stepped away from the Poltergeist to try and keep himself focused. "But he will pay."

"We will need to find him first, though."

"I know roughly where he is."

"No doubt here at Hogwarts or you would not be here," Peeves floated closer towards him and although he was now sure his old friend wouldn't hurt him, he still couldn't prevent himself from flinching even if Peeves didn't seem to notice.

"But knowing he is here will not help me lure him out, there are billions of rats at Hogwarts and she will not be able to detect an Animagus that small unless he stands out in his behaviour," Peeves sighed. "And if she hasn't been able to detect him so far, I will not be able to recognise him either."

"I will, I have seen him transform too many times to count, I would recognise him anywhere."

"That is how you know he is at Hogwarts, don't you? You have seen something to confirm his whereabouts?"

Taking out the crumpled piece of paper he had carried with him since getting his hands on it, Sirius held it out to Peeves.

"The Weasleys?" Peeves' eyes narrowed as he took the black and white picture from Sirius to examine it more thoroughly. "The rat..."

"Is Peter," Sirius confirmed.

"Hiding in plain sight," Peeves' eyes widened. "He's near James' boy, that's why you escaped now, after all these years."

"I'm the only one who knows the truth; I can't...if anything happens to Harry... I have to stop him before he can hurt him."

"First you need to stop and rest," Sirius tensed as cold hands gently took hold of his shoulders, flinching as they tried to push him down onto one of the closest small beds and Peeves' eyes widened as he abruptly pulled back as if burned.

"Siri..."

"I...sorry," embarrassed, he let himself drop down onto the bed, unable to look up to the Poltergeist as he knew his reaction would cause questions and he was not mistaken.

"Who hurt you? Who dared to...I thought..."

Letting out a shaky laugh, Sirius fought to prevent the tears from gathering in his eyes once more at the pure rage in his old friend's voice; rage not aimed at him, but because of him. "It's not...they couldn't, not...James' protection still holds strong. After everything I've done, he's still protecting me in some way."

"Thank magic," Peeves deflated visibly in relief; gazing at him in hesitation for a brief moment before his eyes fell onto Sirius' pale hands; reaching out to raise them by the tip of his fingers and revealed his scarred wrists into the light. "But even so, they still managed to hurt you in other ways."

"It's not important," pulling away, Sirius shook his ragged sleeves down to hide his wrists again.

"It's important to me!" the Poltergeist argued. "Anyone who dares to try and hurt you should pay."

"Then let me go to find Peter; no one has ever hurt me more than he has," Sirius bit out, meeting those angered black eyes head on with determination even as he had to fight back the tears threatening to overtake him. "No one ever can."

"I will help you in any way I can to find him and make him pay."

"I can't ask that of you," looking away from Peeves, Sirius looked down at the soft plaid he was sitting on, wondering just how Peeves had lured him out of the dark corridor and into the light without him noticing.

But his thoughts were cut off as cold fingers gently tipped his chin up so that he was forced to look back up to his old friend.

"Who said you had to ask? You are my friend, Siri, and I want to help you in any way I can," those same cold fingers caressed his cheek again and this time he automatically leaned into the gentle touch, desperate for it no matter how much it scared him at the same time.

"But first, you must eat as you are much too thin."

"I can't, if they find me..."

"They won't," his old friend interrupted him calmly. "You will be safe here for now."

"What about the elves?"

"Do you really believe any of them believes you are guilty of anything? Did you honestly think I ever would?"

"Everyone believes so, why wouldn't you?"

"Then they are idiots," Peeves spat out. "Anyone who knows you should know better. No one sane at Hogwarts would ever believe in your guilt, I have never believed in your guilt, Hogwarts hasn't and neither do any of the elves. We know better than to believe such lies."

He stiffened as something seemed to occur to him and slowly lowering himself to Sirius' eye level. "Lupin is a teacher here now."

"He is?" A tiny smile crossed his lips at the idea that at least one of them managed to fulfil their dreams.

"Started this year. Dumbledore brought him in, in case that you would find your way here. To help stop you," Peeves hesitated. "Apparently you have been talking in your sleep for quite some time about 'him' being at Hogwarts. They think you mean James' boy."

"He thinks I am out to hurt Harry? That I would hurt my own..." pain tightened his chest and he found himself unable to breathe all of a sudden.

He wasn't quite aware of having sunk to the ground until coldness surrounded him as the Poltergeist was embracing him in an attempt to comfort him; bringing the realisation that the incapability to breathe came from the hysterical cries trying to wreck him apart.

But he couldn't stop the sobs from coming as he realised he truly had lost all and everyone.

He had always believed that Remus hadn't been allowed to visit him; to come demand answers and learn the truth of what had happened. That his old friend had simply been forced to believe a truth he couldn't disprove without being able to actually see him.

He had never even suspected that Remus hadn't even tried, that he had believed in his guilt without question. That after everything they had been through, he truly believed he was capable of betraying James.

And wholeheartedly believed that he was capable of hurting their son; his little innocent boy.

Was he really such a terrible human being that Remus would believe he would ever want to harm his own godchild; an innocent child?

"No, you are anything but a bad person," Peeves whispered in his ear.

"Then why...why would he believe I'd ever want to hurt Harry?" Struggling against the Poltergeist' strong grip, Sirius choked out, "That I'd ever hurt James..."

But he had never been a match for the Poltergeist' superior strength even at his strongest and didn't stand a chance now as that strong grip only tightened and although the strong hold held him captured in a way that should terrify him, it instead made him feel warm and cared for and all the fight left Sirius' body as more tears spilled out as Peeves pulled him even closer.

"Why are you being so nice to me, I don't..."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Peeves growled. "You deserve every bit of kindness there is in this world. You didn't deserve any of what was thrown your way and you certainly aren't a bad person."

"Then why does everyone believe in my guilt so readily? Why would Remus believe I would ever harm James if I'm not a bad person? That I would ever want to hurt Harry."

"I don't know. I really don't know how he could have ever believed it; anyone who has ever known you, knows there is no one in this world you loved more than James. Even if you had a single malicious bone in your body you still wouldn't have been capable of harming James."

"But they do believe it," Sirius whispered, fighting new tears.

"People are idiots," a new, high-pitched, voice softly told him, startling him into trying to jerk up, but Peeves' embrace held him in place as a fairly familiar small house-elf with shining brown eyes looked up to him. "Wes knows better than to believes Siri would ever betray his Jamsie."

The confirmation of another old friend that not everyone believed in his guilt set tears off once again, but he didn't fight them as he simply folded into the tiny arms wrapping around his neck.

He wasn't quite sure how much time passed as he cried; trusting the two surrounding him to keep him safe until his tears eventually dried and he shifted away while wiping away the last traces of his breakdown.

"I'm sorry."

"There is nothing to be sorry about," Peeves hovered close as the little elf gave him a tissue.

"Thanks, Pippy."

"Siri remembers me?" The little bat-like ears shot up in happiness and she smiled, sending a completely different pang through his heart as he was reminded of a different little elf's smile; one he missed terribly still.

"Of course I do," he managed to bring out after a moment as he successfully fought back new tears.

"Wes remember yous too," she softly patted his hand, seemingly understanding his inner tumult. "And Pippy means what she says. None of us believes yous is guilty."

"Thanks," he wasn't quite sure how to express how much it meant to him that they believed in him, but she seemed to understand regardless as she squeezed his hand.

"Yous need food. Tiffy woulds have been horrified to sees how thin yous are," the little elf moved to the kitchen, clearly intend on getting food for him and not noticing the stab of pain her words left. "Yous wash up."

"Keep it simple, he looks like he hasn't eaten in weeks!" Peeves called out after her, getting an affirmative in return and Sirius simply stared at the door the little elf had disappeared through for a long moment when Peeves softly squeezed his shoulder.

"She is right, you know? Tiffy would never have believed in your guilt either and if I knew that elf as well as I did, then I daresay she would have tried to storm Azkaban itself to get you out."

"It would have gotten her killed," swallowing thickly, Sirius turned from the Poltergeist to compose himself. "Not that I didn't get her killed anyway."

"If I had been able to leave Hogwarts, I would have done the same thing."

"Jump in front of a lethal curse to protect an idiot?"

"If the idiot was you, then yes, but I more meant storm Azkaban to get you out."

"Don't...don't you ever dare die for me, no one...," he had to cut himself off as he became aware of the growl leaving his lips; but made no apology for his harsh tone. "I won't let anyone ever die for me again."

"Some people are worth dying for," Peeves smiled ruefully, not the least bit intimidated by the glare directed at him. "Would you not have done the same for her, for me...for James?"

"In a heartbeat," he knew he was acting hypocritical, but couldn't care less; not after Tiffy, Lily and James, after his parents had died because of him.

For even if James had kept telling him it wasn't; he still felt it had been his fault their parents had been killed as it had been him the Death Eaters had been after that day.

"I can't," he finally breathed out after several moments of long silence. "I can't bear losing anyone ever again. Not because of me."

"Then I will do my very best to stay alive," Peeves softly brushed away a few tears Sirius hadn't even realised had fallen. "Besides, if I were to die, who would protect you from getting into trouble?"

"Dad would say trouble is my middle name."

"And here I always thought your middle name was idiot," reaching out to pull him into a loose embrace, the Poltergeist smiled as Sirius choked on a laugh. "Pippy was right, though, you could do with a shower."

"A shower?" Turning his head to stare at Peeves, Sirius wasn't quite able to understand what he meant. "Prisoners are not allowed more than a cup's worth of water every day."

"You are not a prisoner any more," Peeves gently took his hand; pulling him up to lead him towards a door he hadn't noticed yet. "Do you want a bath or a shower?"

"No...please, not again," terror gripped Sirius as he realised the Poltergeist meant for him to be submerged in water and he froze, heart clenching as his brain shut down.

"Breathe...just breathe," Peeves' even voice and cold hands pressing down onto his shoulders were the first thing Sirius became aware of and he automatically tried to follow the Poltergeist' orders, slowly regaining a breathing pattern he hadn't even realised had changed.

He recognised the actions from trying to talk Remus down from a panic attack enough to realise he had one himself, though he wasn't quite sure what had triggered it.

"What happened?" He managed to ask once he regained his breathing.

"You freaked out," there was anger in Peeves' entire being as he led him away from the door determinedly, but Sirius instinctively knew it wasn't directed at him and followed him.

"I thought you wanted me to have a shower?" Sirius wasn't quite sure he would manage to put his head under any water without freaking out, but he did know he would like to be clean for a change.

"No shower or bath," Peeves glanced back at him as he led him forward by hand and Sirius flushed as he realised just what he had a panic attack about, but luckily his old friend didn't request information. "We're going to a sink so you can freshen up with a flannel while I find you something else to wear."

"I am wearing something," glancing down just to be sure, he could indeed see he was wearing the familiar dirty prison robes as always.

"That are not clothes," Peeves left him standing next to a closet, searching through it for a long moment before pulling out a bundle of robes. "Some of these should fit you well enough. It's not what you'd normally wear, but at least it will be clean."

"I can't change clothes," Sirius shook his head. "If I'm captured and I'm wearing different clothing, they will know I've had help. I won't endanger any of you like that."

"Then we will have these rags washed and you can put them back on once you leave."

"I can't stay here," Sirius protested even as he accepted the bundle of clothes. "It's too dangerous, what if they discover me?"

"I'll be on guard just in case, but you'll be perfectly safe here for a while as you recover somewhat. Or at the very least have had several meals," the ghost looked him up and down pointedly, but Sirius couldn't find it in himself to even remotely care about what he looked like.

"I have to hunt down Peter."

"You can do that after you've had a few decent meals, I'm afraid to breathe too deeply in case it'll blow you away."

"You don't breathe at all," he couldn't help but point out, feeling strangely accomplished as the Poltergeist grinned back at him.

"Shows how afraid I am," he teased as he pushed a couple of flannels into Sirius' hands as well, indicating to a different door. "Go clean up and change, but take all the time you need."

Letting himself be pushed through the door to reveal a long row of low sinks, Sirius did as he was told and although he didn't bother with his hair, not daring to put his head under water and risk triggering another attack, he at least felt mostly clean again as he scrubbed himself clean and dressed in the soft robes.

Pippy stole the bundle of dirty clothes he held the moment he left the little bathroom and as they guided him towards the kitchen, his eyes fell upon a normal sized bed stacked against the far wall behind the rows of normal beds. One put there specifically for him as it hadn't been there before and he had to swallow back a lump at the trouble they were going through for him as he followed Pippy and Peeves into the kitchen.

Many high pitched voices greeted him warmly and he found himself surrounded by both familiar and new faces, none of them judgemental or even wary of him being there, instead simply happy to see him as they led him to the fireplace on the far end of the kitchen and he was put into a chair by about a dozen of them as the rest buzzed around with placing food on the five tables.

"Is it morning already?" He questioned Peeves between two bites of the porridge Pippy all but demanded he eat.

"It's just after seven, you have been here for a little over five hours now," he answered his unasked question. "You'll be safe here for a few days, though it would be wise to hide in their quarters during the day."

Accepting defeat as he knew his old friend wasn't going to just let him leave again, Sirius nodded and allowed Peeves to guide him back to the large bed after eating half of the porridge and having the opportunity to brush his teeth for the first time in years before letting the ghost bully him into the soft bed.

"I don't know if you remember, but the elves spun a net of magic to the door of their quarters so no one will hear their little ones during the day so you don't have to remain quiet," Peeves smiled down at him as he marvelled at the cloud-like softness surrounding him, the ghost all but tucking him in and hovering on the edge of the bed. "I'll remain nearby so if you need anything, call me."

"I...thank you," reaching out to squeeze the cold black hands, Sirius hoped the Poltergeist knew how grateful he truly was even if he would never be able to express it properly. But perhaps he did see something in his eyes as Peeves simply squeezed his hand in return.

"Sleep Siri, I'll be here."

Trusting his old friend, Sirius allowed his eyes to close and surrendered himself to the clouds around him to try and actually sleep for the first time since arriving at Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:Due to personal circumstances I won't be able to post tomorrow, so you are getting the new chapter early.

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Following Peeves through the hidden passages, Sirius tried to stay low and quiet so they would not be heard by any of the students passing by.

It was a good thing he was so thin or he wasn't sure he would have managed to walk between the narrow walls the same way he had done as a teenager, something the Poltergeist had grudgingly agreed with.

He had spent four days in the elves' quarters, regaining some much needed strength while resting up and spending time with their little ones during the day.

Not having wanted to involve the house-elves as Peter could be potentially dangerous, they had turned down their offer of help and roamed the castle in the evenings to try and find any trace of him.

But what traces they found were old and had led them further into the castle than expected, so now they were trying to quietly return to the kitchen without anyone hearing them move between walls.

Something that was going quite well until the sight of Remus passing a corner, just visible through a larger crack in the wall before them, left a sharp stab in Sirius' already abused heart; his old friend's pain and sadness clear to see for him.

He couldn't help but stop at the sight of him; just happy to see him again after so many years and see he was still alive, if somewhat shabby looking.

But it wasn't until Harry crossed the corner after Remus mere moments later with two other students, that he felt the remainders of his heart break; the pain much more effective than anything the guards had ever thrown at him in Azkaban.

For a split second, he wished he could see James in the boy's place; if only to fool himself for a moment, but the thought left his mind as quickly as it had entered.

Because as badly as he missed his brother, he missed Harry just as much and although the boy was practically within touching distance, he had never felt as far away.

The glimpse he had caught of him weeks before had not brought it home just how much his little boy had grown, the image in his mind still that of a toddler while a half-grown teenager was in his sights now.

And how he had grown, Sirius greedily drank in the sight of his godson in broad daylight, taking in the, in his opinion, too thin frame and the long thin fingers displayed as he carefully steered the girl walking beside him a little to the right so she'd not walk into a wall as her head was buried in a book.

The boy clearly was a Potter through and through; how could he not be with those eyebrows, those cheekbones and that messy hair and although a wave of melancholy washed over him, it was not what he was yearning to see.

Biting his lip, he focused on the vibrant green eyes as the boy listened as the red-haired boy on his other side, immediately recognisable from the Prophet photo tucked into his pocket, spoke to him, nodding occasionally to what he was told before his lips suddenly spread into a wide smile.

As he took in the utterly familiar smile he loved so much, Sirius could breathe again, finally having found his little boy in this strange yet oh so familiar teenager and knew that no matter how much Harry had grown, his precious little boy was alive and well.

But at the same time that his heart swelled at the visible conformation, a pang of worry also shot through him at the badly hidden weariness displayed on that young face.

Was he getting enough sleep? Was his school work worrying him and was he doing well in school at all? Were his friends nice to him? Was he happy with Remus? And at his dormitory?

His clothes betrayed that he was a Gryffindor, though Sirius wouldn't have cared where his godson had ended up as long as he was happy and healthy. He wondered if Remus was making good use of the money James and he had set aside for him in case something happened to them, as his old friend, too, was eying a little too worn for his tastes.

Hundreds of questions floated through Sirius' mind as he stared longingly at his godson, before other, darker thoughts crossed his mind.

Would he even remember him after all these years? And if not, would he have believed him if he had sought him out, had told him the truth as he had so desperately wanted to do after escaping.

But he had decided against it, as he was under no illusion that Remus wouldn't have told his charge of his supposed betrayal from a young age; making the child believe he was the one who had betrayed and led his parents to their deaths.

And although it still hurt to know Remus clearly believed in his guilt wholeheartedly, the forced rest by Peeves had given him time to think and he no longer felt like bursting into tears at the knowledge Remus clearly thought the worst of him.

Because if Remus thought he was capable of ever hurting James in any way, then why would he not believe he wouldn't be capable of hurting his son? And why would Remus believe in his innocence, when all the evidence had pointed at his guilt and he had proven to him before that he couldn't be fully trusted.

It didn't matter that it wasn't true and it had been Peter who had betrayed them, Remus didn't know that and although it didn't make the feeling of betrayal and pain go away completely, the logic helped to give it a place.

And so he had kept his distance, only allowing himself to track his godson's oh so familiar scent to catch a glimpse of him before travelling north, wary of Remus detecting him before he could hunt Peter down.

"We should move, my magic should prevent Lupin from ever detecting your scent, but I'd rather not take any chances," Peeves whisper alerted him to the fact that Remus was approaching quickly and he let the Poltergeist pull him to another hidden entrance within the wall.

"Does he hate me?" The question was out before he could stop himself, unable to look away from his godson steadily making his way down the hall in their direction.

"He hates the truth he believes in," a cold hand came to rest on his shoulder in comfort as Peeves opened the entrance. "The boy doesn't know and I am afraid that without solid proof, he will be too hot-headed to listen to you."

"He inherited his mother's temper?" A pang of longing to experience his boy's developed character for himself filled him.

"At times, he mostly has your patience, though," Peeves' dark eyes bore into him briefly before they flickered back to the approaching teenager. "He is a lot like you, actually."

Sirius wasn't sure what his old friend meant by that, but Peeves made no further comment as he tugged on his arm and squeezed through the opening, glancing back just in time to see Harry and his classmates pass Remus as he had stopped by another teacher Sirius didn't recognise, nodding to the man in greeting as they passed him but making no other indication of being close.

"Why..." he would have expected the two to at least greet each other with more familiarity than this, but there was nothing as his godson simply moved further away and the door closed to hide them both from his view. "Are they fighting?"

"What? Not as far as I know, why?"

"They looked so formal in their behaviour."

"Is there a reason why they wouldn't be? They hardly know each other."

"What? Doesn't Harry live with Remus?"

"No, let's wait until we reach the kitchens and we can talk properly," Peeves suggested and agreeing with his logic, Sirius followed after him.

"Harry lives with his Muggle relatives; Evan's sister," Peeves spoke as soon as they'd entered the elves' quarters. "Why did you expect him to live with Lupin?"

"Because that's what I wrote in my Will," it was something Sirius had made sure was arranged properly the moment Harry was born. "If anything happened to me that would leave me incapable of being Harry's guardian, whether it was death or incapacitation, Remus and Minerva would gain shared custody of him."

"I don't know why they haven't taken custody of him; though I do know it was Dumbledore who placed the child with Evan's relatives," floating over to the bed Sirius had made his own, Peeves lit a candle to create a source of light.

It had been something he always did upon entering a room with Sirius, no doubt for his benefit as the Poltergeist didn't need light and the gesture had always brought him comfort; still did as he automatically moved towards the small source of light.

"Dumbledore? What does Dumbledore have to do with Harry's placement? He is not his guardian or caretaker," sitting down on the bed, Sirius raised his hands to warm them by the tiny flame. "And why would Remus or Professor M ever accept that sort of placement when they both know how much Lily's sister hates magic?"

"That are not answers I can give you, though I will see what I can discover. I do know that as far as the boy is aware, they have never met before this year and even now their only interactions are class related."

"Harry doesn't know Remus is an old friend of his parents?"

The simple shake of the Poltergeist' head made Sirius' heart clench as he realised Remus had left Harry all alone.

It didn't matter if his precious Dumbledore had meddled in things he had no business interfering with; he had allowed himself to be distanced from their boy to the point that Harry didn't even know him and left him in the hands of Petunia Dursley. Quashing down the anger he felt rise at that, he focused on what else he wanted to know.

"Are they treating him well? Is he accepted into her household?"

"From what I know, he isn't very fond of them. But I honestly do not know if it's because they hate him or because he just doesn't fit into their world. I do know they've never raised a hand at him, though."

"Are you sure?" Relief floated through him as the Poltergeist nodded. "How do you know?"

"He doesn't shrink away when someone moves too quickly and although he does not trust adults, he doesn't fear them," dark eyes met his. "He is malnourished and too thin, but not beaten."

"There are more ways to abuse a child than to beat them," Sirius pointed out, knowing that all too well. "Do they love him?"

"I can't give you the answers you seek," Peeves took a deep breath. "There is little I know about the boy other than what everyone else knows."

"What do you mean?"

"I've tried to keep him out of too much trouble, in my own way, but the boy holds no love for me even when I spare him from my more malicious pranks," he looked down guiltily. "And I do not wish to be near him either."

"Peeves..." unsure of what to say, Sirius trailed off. He had hoped that Harry had found a friend in Peeves, but it was clear that was not the case. But he couldn't find it within himself to blame the Poltergeist, as; although Peeves had been one of the first friends he had ever made, he in turn had been considered the Poltergeist's only friend even if James had called him friend as well.

Something that had clearly not changed with the years from the amounts of time the ghost had spent at his side these last few days.

"The resemblance to you is unbearable to me," the Poltergeist didn't seem to understand his inability to speak this time, trying to explain himself desperately. "He is yours as much as he is James' and knowing he is here while you were...I couldn't bear to try and get close to him."

"I'm sorry."

Black eyes snapped up to him and Sirius reached out to squeeze the dark hands. "The mere fact that you have tried to avoid him in your more malicious pranks tells me you do care for him and tried to look out for him in your own way. It is more than I could have ever asked of you and I want to thank you for it."

"I wish I could have done more," the Poltergeist whispered softly, leaning his forehead against Sirius' for a long moment. "I will try to look out for him a little more. But we better get you free soon, so you can do it yourself."

"I'm all for that, but I think I will need to leave the castle," raising a hand to stop Peeves' protests, Sirius rose to his feet. "We're not getting anywhere here as we're only finding old trails. But as much as we find old traces, I'm leaving all kinds of new ones for Peter to find and he will be on guard as long as he can smell me in the castle."

"Where will you go?" The ghost seemed to realise there was logic in his words and didn't argue.

"The forest, see if I can learn any news from the animals residing there. He could have left the castle altogether after learning of my presence here and if anyone would know, it would be them."

"Then return here tomorrow night again."

It was heart-warming to see Peeves try to keep him there and as much as he found that he would like to remain in this little safe haven, he had already stayed longer than he should have. "I have already stayed too long as it is."

"Then at least give a sign of life every few days and meet me somewhere safe so we can discuss plans and we keep each other updated," Peeves bargained.

"I can do that," it was the least he could do after all the trouble his old friend had gone through for him. "I'll leave just before dawn."

"There's a full moon tonight, won't Lupin able smell you if you leave them?"

"No, the transformation will end at the first sign of dawn and the transition from Moony to himself has always left him in a daze for several minutes. If I time my descent correctly, then he will not be able to pick up my scent at all as I run to the forest."

"All right, then take the time you have left to rest while I have Pippy gather some food for you to take along," the ghost frowned. "And you better be careful or there will be hell to pay."

"I promise I will do my very best to stay out of trouble. But I can't carry much without it restricting my movements and it is speed I will be relying on since I can't use magic."

"Let us worry about that, you focus on resting."

Bemused, Sirius let himself be pushed back onto the bed and shifted into Padfoot before curling up.

The first night in the cloud-like bed had taught him the hard way that it was unwise to sleep as a human as nightmares had plagued him despite the comforting presence beside him and he would not be the reason the elves did not get enough sleep so, after arguing with Peeves on leaving, they had agreed that he would sleep as Padfoot.

It didn't stop the nightmares, but as a dog his emotions were a lot less complicated and the fear his sleep brought him did not wake anyone else that way.

Hours later, just before the breaking of dawn, Peeves opened a hidden side door and Padfoot shot past him to the forest in the distance, disappearing into it before the first lights truly rose above the horizon.


	3. Chapter 3

Happy Halloween!

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Several days passed in which Sirius sought out the different creatures living in the forest as Padfoot, quickly finding the new mission to be a bust as no one had seen anything remotely out of the ordinary.

But since they weren't aware he wasn't all he seemed to be either, he wasn't quite sure how much he could rely on their testimonies.

He was nearing the end of his first week in the forest when he picked up the scent of a troop of Blood-Sucking Bugbears nearby and although they wouldn't be too dangerous for him if their paths crossed, it was more trouble than it was worth and he changed directions.

He had travelled half a mile in the other direction when he suddenly picked up the scent of excitement coming from the direction the Bugbears had been in; immediately knowing they had found a prey they had injected with their paralysing venom.

A shiver ran down his back as he thought about the poor creature left to be sucked dry, but alarm did not flash through him until he picked up the scent of fresh blood; human blood.

Turning around, he ran back the way he had come and barrelled straight into the group of Bugbears gathered about their prey, a teenage boy.

Growling, it only took him a moment to detect a second near identical boy laying mere meters from the first; also surrounded by the creatures and without even thinking about it, he changed back into a human while picking up the wand he had spotted near the first boy.

The Bugbears hissed, but Sirius wasted no time in burning those surrounding the two boys and although his first spell in years was hardly impressing, it did its job well enough and the surviving Bugbears shrieked as they retreated.

Knowing they wouldn't return to a prey that was clearly stronger than them, he gathered up one of the burned Bugbears and turned back to the closest boy.

It was easy to recognise the Weasley twins; their features not having changed all that much from when they had been little children and he only now realised they had to have been on the newspaper clipping in his pocket as well. But he had immediately recognised Peter and focused on him; completely ignoring the faces of boys he had once known.

But it didn't matter if he had known these two boys; he would help them either way and knelt beside the closest boy to search for the puncture marks identifying the red-haired teenager as prey.

Finding it after a moment, he carefully pulled out the dead creatures' tongue with a piece torn of his robe and ran its saliva over the puncture marks before repeating the process with the other twin.

He could see the haziness common for this kind of poison in both pair of familiar brown eyes, but knew he had been in time as there was no accompanying swelling of the skin around the puncture marks yet.

Either way, the boys were mostly out of it and for that he was grateful as he borrowed the boy's wand a little longer to heal the numerous small wounds the Bugbears had made on their exposed skin and fix their robes.

Work done, he slipped the boy's wand into his pocket and gathered them to rest near each other before transforming back into Padfoot.

He didn't dare remain at their side as it wouldn't be long before they regained consciousness and he couldn't risk them either recognising him or speaking about his presence in the forest to their brother where Peter might overhear; but he also didn't dare leave them completely alone either so hid in the thick undergrowth some distance away.

Nearly fifteen minutes past before the two stirred and slowly sat up, looking around confused.

Now that they were awake and moving; Sirius was fairly sure the boy he had first saved was George and watched as the red-head pulled out his wand to cast a Homenum Revelio, though he wasn't concerned they would find them as he would not register as human to their spell.

Watching from the safety of his hiding spot, he observed the two teenagers as they quietly spoke together before quickly making their way out of the forest.

Automatically he followed after them from a safe distance as he was struck by the desire to see these boys to safety; telling himself it was the decent thing to do and had nothing to do with fond memories of cheering and mischievous toddlers joining his pup sometimes.

The boys had just reached the edge of the forest when a flash of orange caught his attention and he automatically braced for an attack on either himself or the boys.

But all that happened was a hissing coming from the bushes on his right and the flash of brightness turned into a large orange cat, one that screamed Kneazle to him.

' _Two-skin.'_

' _I'm human,'_ Sirius acknowledged realising the cat was quite a bit smarter than most of the creatures in the forest if he recognised what he were on sight.

But as the cat fully came into view and Sirius focused his magic properly to be able to see with vaguely human vision instead of Padfoot's limited sight, he realised his first assumption; though mostly right, wasn't entirely so.

The cat was clearly at least partly Kneazle, but lacked both the height and features to be a pure one as its head was remarkably squashed instead of pointed, though he clearly had the intelligence and distinctive bottle brush tail

Flickering his attention momentarily back to the retreating twins, he was relieved to see the two were still making their way steadily towards the castle and as they disappeared from sight, he turned his full attention back to the cat.

' _Forest, two-skin, why?'_ bright eyes stared at him, the cat seemingly taken aback by his easy admittance.

' _Hunt rat,'_ perhaps the animal would know more than any other creature he had come across so far.

' _Two-skin no hunter,'_ the cat, a male from the sound of his thoughts, hissed. ' _Why two-skin here.'_

' _Sirius, name Sirius,'_ he tried to communicate as the title two-kin, although accurate, was not quite meant kindly. _'Hunt rat, two-skin rat.'_

' _Two-skin rat in human nest, why two-skin dog in forest?'_

So Peter was indeed still in the castle, Sirius mused before something occurred to him. ' _Seen two-skin rat in castle?'_

' _Castle?'_ Confusion was sent to him through the mental connection, making him remember the word the cat had used.

' _Big human nest, two-skin rat at big human nest?'_

' _Why two-skin care?'_

It was difficult to try and communicate with the hostile cat; the combination of using words known by animals and trying to find simple images taking a tax on him, but he tried to explain his situation anyway.

He wasn't quite sure the cat understood words like betrayal and fugitive, but the hostility had faded somewhat as those intelligent bright eyes stared at him unblinkingly and he himself felt no danger coming from the animal.

' _Show other skin,'_ came the demand at the end of his explanation as the bottle brush tail curled around the animal as he sat down.

' _Not safe,'_ hesitating, he realised his refusal could be seen as lying. The cat was intelligent enough that he could use his help to find Peter, but to do that, he first had to earn the animal's trust. So coming to a decision, he rose to his four paws. ' _Deeper forest, safer, show other skin.'_

The cat followed him on a little distance to a clearing further into the forest and Sirius transformed back into his human form; stumbling momentarily as he had forgotten to let go of the magic maintaining a normal vision and his vision swirled in too bright colours.

Remaining sitting to regain a proper vision, he was only vaguely aware of the cat walking around him, tensing as his vision returned to find orange eyes stare up to him from right in front of him.

Keeping still as large paws came to rest on his thigh as the ginger, not orange as he'd first assumed, cat leaned on him to investigate and sniff at his face.

Several long moments passed in which the cat stared at him unblinkingly before the weight suddenly intensified as the cat crossed his lap to jump off of him again to walk around him.

But although he wanted to show the cat he wasn't a danger, the sound of creatures moving around in the thick under bushes made him tense and he knew it wasn't safe enough to remain human without a wand to protect himself, so after allowing the animal to finish his round; he shifted back into Padfoot.

' _Need cleaning,"_ the cat sounded amused as he sat down across of him _,_ closer than before _._

' _Get in line,'_ it was annoying that even a cat believed him to be in need of a bath and he could almost hear Peeves' cackling laughter in his ears.

' _Line?'_

' _Nothing, seen first skin, happy?'_ Sensing there was no hostility left in the cat, Sirius took the opportunity to lay down to rest for a moment as the use of wandless magic had taken more out of him than he had thought.

' _No danger, two-skin dog not same two-skin rat.'_

' _Sirius,'_ he tried to communicate once more, but the cat just stared at him confused and he realised he had absolutely no idea how to even begin to communicate his name to the animal.

' _Name, Padfoot'_ he decided on, indicating to the sole of his front paw with his nose, trying to communicate his nickname to the animal. ' _Padded sole, see?'_

' _Padded sole,' the cat agreed._

" _Just Pad, Human paw called foot,' sending a mental image of a human foot, he repeated himself. 'Human paw called foot.'_

' _Foot, human no paw.'_

' _Me called Padfoot.'_

' _Padded...foot?'_ the thick long tail swept over the forest ground slowly, uncaring of the leaves getting stuck in the long hair as the cat tried to follow him.

' _Pad foot.'_

' _Padfoot,'_ the cat determined, rising to approach but because there was still no sense of danger, Sirius remained where he was as the animal sniffed at his paws. ' _Padfoot.'_

' _Yes, Padfoot. Name?'_ He couldn't very well keep calling the other animal cat if he himself requested to be called by a name.

' _Crooks...'_ he had no idea what else the cat had said, the word both unfamiliar and strange.

' _Wild hair call Crooks..."_

Sirius had no idea who wild hair was, though he assumed it might be the cats owner as the animal was too well cared for to be wild.

' _Crook?'_ He tried, hoping to not offend the animal by his inability to understand the rest of his name as the animal didn't seem capable of portraying an image of his name either.

Bright eyes he now knew to be orange stared at him for a long moment, before the cat gave a single lick to his snout and laid down right in front of him. ' _Yes, Padfoot call Crook.'_

' _Padfoot find two-skin rat?'_

' _Try,'_ curious as to why the cat was suddenly so friendly, he cocked his head. ' _Crook different, why?'_

' _Padfoot other skin, kind human, warm, no lie, sad, so so sad,'_ the bright eyes pierced his own. ' _Crook no like sad, Padfoot happy, Crook help.'_

' _Crook help hunt two-skin rat?'_

' _Yes, Crook help Padfoot.'_

' _Thank you,'_ he tried to project his gratitude, fairly sure he had gotten it across when Crook rose to his feet and brushed against his flank.

' _Crook go, wild hair worry, Crook see Padfoot?'_

' _Yes, Padfoot stay here...meeting place?'_

' _Yes,'_ the cat agreed, gazing at him for a single moment longer before he ran off without another word and although Sirius felt exhausted, he also felt new hope that he might actually find Peter.

Rising to his own paws, he decided to meet up with Peeves and inform him of what he'd learned before finding a safe place to lay low; preferably near the clearing in case Crook came back.

And come back he did, Crook visited him several times, informing him that the traitor was mostly living in the bedroom of a boy he called Loud Mouth.

The name was amusing, but it was Peeves who informed him who exactly Loud Mouth was and fear gripped him as he realised Peter was living in the same dormitory as Harry and knew he had to try and find his way in as Crook was unable to capture the rat as he was always hiding from him.

The Poltergeist quickly agreed with him and they made plans to try and break into Gryffindor Tower when it would certainly be empty.

It stung to realise the first opportunity would be the Halloween festivities taking place a few days later, but the knowledge that it was so close to the anniversary of James and Lily's deaths further fuelled his determination to get his hands on that rat and make him pay.

He only hoped that he would manage to get inside the actual tower before the Fat Lady raised the alarm; something Peeves seemed to find amusing but wouldn't say why.

It took all of his willpower to be able to fight down the memories threatening to overwhelm him as they stood before the familiar painting after having taken as many hidden passages up as they could; the Fat Lady staring at him as if she had never seen him before.

"I need you to open up," he managed to bring out under the intensity of those blue eyes staring at him; hoping the unexpected sight of him would manage to keep her from screaming immediately.

"I can't," she choked out at hearing his voice; tears gathering in her eyes as she reached out like she wanted to touch him. "By Merlin, I wish that I could, but there are more protections in play than you imagine. You are neither a student nor a teacher; so I cannot give you the password."

"Why?" He stared at her confused and a little hesitant as she wasn't reacting the way he had expected her to, even as a grin spread over Peeves' lips as the Poltergeist seemed to have expected it.

"Because the magic in place keeps me from doing so."

"No...I ...Why aren't you calling for the guards?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I-I'm an escaped prisoner, why wouldn't you?" Perplexed, he stared at her as a rueful smile crossed her pink lips.

"Oh, you silly boy. Not everyone is as stupid as these living humans are. We, who know you, know better than to ever believe anything they claim."

"What?' unable to believe what he was hearing, he could only stare at her. "W-why?"

"We know you, love," he had to fight the lump suddenly forming in his throat as she attempted to reach out to him once more, echoing the words Peeves had uttered only weeks ago and he knew he had more friends left than he had thought.

"Why would you believe I'm innocent?"

"For the same reason the one beside you doesn't believe in your guilt. We know you and you know Hogwarts does as well."

"I know, she is blocking the paintings to keep me hidden," he had only needed a moment to have realised that there was no way he would be able to cross through the castle without at least some of them spotting him. But no alarm had been sounded and he knew she was helping him in her own way.

"The ones who would be a danger to you, yes," she looked up for a moment. "But you must hurry; there are always students who leave early."

"There is someone I need to catch."

"And he is inside," she blinked before anger took over her features. "Hiding behind my magic like a coward. You are looking for Pettigrew, the rat."

"Yes, how..."

"Did you honestly think I did not know?" Her eyes softened as she looked down at him. "What you did for your friend, of course I knew. It is why I never warned a teacher even when you boys sneaked out."

"There is no spell compelling you to warn a teacher if a student leaves, we've checked after the first time we were caught out of bed," he couldn't help but point out.

"No, but a simple pair of brains knows that students out of bed after curfew are rarely up to any good. And the ones in charge of hiding the Houses usually warn a teacher if a student is out after bedtime when no detention was given," she smiled warmly. "But youngsters should be given a chance to grow at times."

"So you were helping us in creating mayhem."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," the Fat Lady whistled, bringing a small smile to Sirius' lips.

"Thank you, but I still need to get inside."

"I know, that is why I want you to slice me."

"What?" Horrified he stared at her calm face. "You can't be serious."

"I am, you have to slice my painting. I cannot allow you entrance without the password; something I am not able to give to you. But if I am damaged, I will be replaced."

"How will that help me get in?"

"I will speak of your temper, making sure there is only one portrait stupid enough to take my place. It will be easier to slip past him; it is only a matter of waiting for the right time."

"I've waited twelve years, I can wait a bit longer if needed," he ignored Peeves' choked sound. "But how can you be so sure it would work?"

"Because there is one student in my care who will never manage to work with the portrait I have in mind and that is where your chance lies."

"Agreeing to this plan would mean hurting you, I'm not agreeing to that," he didn't bother asking her what she meant, aware she liked her dramatic reveals and knew it would all become clear soon enough.

"Haven't changed a bit," Peeves sighed from beside him, making the Fat Lady laugh.

"Not at all, has he," she smiled down at him fondly. "You will agree to it as it's the only way to ever gain access."

"Too many have already been hurt because of that rat, I can't..."

"You can and you will, dear child. Right where I tell you to," she interrupted. "I will not be able to feel it, you know?"

"Maybe not, but your portrait is your home."

"I know, but you must be vicious enough to leave clear damage," she cut off his protest. "And don't you dare go easy on me, I know you too well, Sirius."

"You're letting yourself be hurt for me, why?"

"You are one of our own," Peeves answered in her stead, placing a hand on his cheek the way the Fat Lady clearly wanted to. "We protect our own and if that means getting hurt at times, we will do so in a heartbeat."

While part of Sirius bristled at the idea of anyone getting hurt again because of him, he also knew the Poltergeist had chosen those specific words to remember him of an earlier conversation.

"Now hurry up, love and don't you dare take anything you might hear me say later personally. You are our boy and we love you dearly."

"Just acting your part, huh?" He couldn't help but smile even as her nod was a stab to his heart and he accepted the pocket knife produced out of nowhere.

"You know me, love, acting is in my blood. Remember to make it look like you were enraged because I refused you entrance. We must bring fear to even the bravest of portraits so that only the foolish remain."

"Right, I'm sorry," trying not to flinch even though she made no sound as he cut into it much more than he would have ever dared as she indicated he should.

"Well done, now run," she whispered; eyes flickering to Peeves. "I will run to the fourth floor, that will give you some time to get him to safety."

Allowing himself to be pulled along to one of the many hideaways, Sirius just barely managed to bring out a thank you as the Fat Lady waved from behind her torn portrait.

They made it to the seventh floor before the Fat Lady suddenly shrieked bloody murder; her voice echoing as she ran and Peeves tugged on his arm.

"We need to get you to the kitchens."

"They'll search there, I refuse to endanger the elves," he hissed urgently, struggling against the Poltergeist's strong grip despite knowing it wouldn't work if Peeves truly wanted to pull him along.

But black eyes gazed down at him thoughtfully for a moment as he stopped before deflating in clear surrender and turning them towards a wall to hit a brick to reveal a side entrance Sirius vaguely recognised.

"We're going to the Room of Requirement?"

"Yes, I don't suppose you will consent to remaining there full time?"

"Too dangerous and I still need to find a way to catch Peter. I can't do that when I'm locked up," he hesitated. "And Harry's first match is soon and I would like to try to catch some of it from the Forest."

"Of course you do. You are a self-sacrificing idiot," but the words weren't laced with anger, only resigned fondness as the Poltergeist rolled his eyes and opened the door to a nearly empty room.

Stepping through, Sirius immediately spotted a bed and a door leading to showers.

"I guess that's a strong hint to clean up?" It felt almost alien to watch Peeves burst out into laughter and he couldn't help but smile at the sight of his old friend's mirth.

"I'm sure there will be sinks in there as well. I will go see how the situation is and return with some food for you in a little while," those warm dark eyes bore into him. "And sleep some, you are resembling a raccoon more thoroughly again than I am comfortable with."

"Yeah, I thought you liked raccoons with the havoc they create?" Looking around a bit hesitantly, Sirius remembered the first time he managed to transform here with James present, smiling slightly at the memory.

"Only when they aren't represented by a friend," a cold hand caressing his cheek pulling him out of the memory again before Peeves took off again through the wall and left him alone with his thoughts.

Brushing a hand over the soft comforter resting on the bed, he took a deep breath and knew that although it was unlikely he would be able to sleep comfortably, he could indeed at least freshen up.

Making his way to the sinks, he hesitated before turning to the showers, wondering if he dared.

It would be marvellous to actually feel clean for a change and gathering all the Gryffindor courage he possessed, he stepped through the doors and found his way into a shower after undressing.

Still, it took him several attempts before he could even turn the shower head on and even longer before he managed to convince himself to actually step under it.

A fear of drowning overwhelmed him momentarily as he stepped under the steam; forcefully reminded of Azkaban, but fought the urge to flee and give into his fear.

He knew he was as far away from them as he could be at the moment and Hogwarts and Peeves would never let anyone find him here, warning him the moment his location was compromised.

But even if he knew it logically, it was hard to convince his mind of the same thing and he fought to remain where he was.

Eventually working up the courage to push his head underneath the stream briefly, he tensed for pain sure to come; for rough hands to restrain him and force water over his face until he could no longer hold his breath.

But nothing happened in the long moments passing other than thick dirty strands of too long hair thickening in the water and clinging to his skin everywhere. His wrists weren't restrained nor did someone yank a cloth over his face and a shaky breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding escaped.

He was safe.

Staring at his scarred but unbound wrists, he slowly slid down the wall as tears ran down; curling up as small as he could in the corner of the shower, he let the warm water fall over him as he sobbed over the realisation that he truly had escaped.

They couldn't hurt him any more as long as they couldn't capture him and he would never let them do that.

Even if he didn't manage to catch the rat and expose the truth, he wasn't letting them take him back there alive; never again.


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter takes place after the events of An Unexpected Friend. The only thing you need to know about that story if you haven't read it; is that Luna found Padfoot after he went after Harry's broom during the first Quidditch Match and was attacked by the Whomping Willow. She nursed him back to health before he left to the forest again.

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"You're all right!" Peeves' familiar voice greeted him as he arrived at their usual meeting place and Sirius shifted back into his human form.

"Yeah," stretching, he winced at his protesting muscles. "Sorry, I was held up for some time."

"I know, the girl used strong blood magic to keep you hidden and not even Hogwarts could get me through them," he looked chagrined. "Is it your doing that she knows such strong magic?"

"It might be, I taught it to her mother and she in turn might've taught it to her daughter."

"Don't teach it to anyone else. I didn't even know if you were still alive until that crazy cat found me and even then I had to mostly guess what it was trying to tell me," black eyes travelled over his body so Sirius slowly turned in a circle so the ghost could see for himself that he was all right. "What exactly happened, the cat wasn't exactly talkative in terms I could understand."

"I ran into Dementors when going after Harry's broom and then got hurt by the Whomping Willow while trying to escape them," he swallowed as he remembered the familiar but terrifying cold suffocating him, overwhelming fear having taken all coherent thoughts from him.

He tensed as another cold sensation came closer before identifying it as the much warmer presence of Peeves as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "I...I got hurt and apparently Luna found Padfoot unconscious."

Alarmed, Peeves tensed. "Does she know who he is?"

"Yes," raising his hands to reassure the Poltergeist, Sirius continued. "It's all right, she didn't turn me in. She could've done so while I was down, but didn't. Instead she kept me hidden and nursed me until I was well enough to leave again and then I couldn't get back to the castle without being seen earlier."

"I figured as much when that cat came by without you but didn't seem agitated," a fond smile crossed Peeves' lips. "The girl is her mother's daughter, huh?"

Humming in agreement, Sirius couldn't help but wonder what had become of Pandora through the years and although he would never voice it, he wondered if she believed in his guilt the way Remus did or might share her daughter's beliefs.

"What day is it?"

"The twenty-eight," black eyes peered at him. "You know, your godson received a very special present for Christmas this year."

"Did he now?" meeting the mischievous eyes, Sirius couldn't help but smile in return.

"McGonagall was very adamant about testing it for tampering after the Granger girl warned her, though, and confiscated it for the time being."

"His friend told a Professor about the broom? I can't imagine Harry to have been happy about that."

"He wasn't, especially since she didn't discuss it with him first but just warned a teacher. The boys feel that she has betrayed them."

"Rightly so," though it was the wiser decision to alert a teacher to have an unexpected present like that checked, it should never have been done behind anyone's back and he could understand perfectly why his godson was angry about it.

"I had a feeling you might agree with that, though you don't seem surprised to learn it was confiscated."

"I might have been counting on Professor Flitwick to have to test the broom for tampering. It wouldn't do for my boy to get a broom that'll be dangerous to him," turning away from the ghost at the tap on his knee, Sirius looked down to see one of the House-elves hold out a sandwich to him. "Thank you."

"It's not the only thing he received recently."

"Oh?" Curious, Sirius turned back to his friend at the worry in his voice, sandwich in hand.

"He somehow got his hands on the Marauder's Map."

Surprise and sorrow raged through him momentarily as he remembered their masterpiece and how they'd spoken of passing it onto their offspring before Peter had gotten it confiscated, but it quickly made place for joy and he couldn't help but chuckle. "How did he get his hands on that?"

"I don't know," Peeves' expression remained unchanged. "Sirius...he had the map."

"He should have it; it was our intention all along to pass it on to James' children one day. I just wish we could have given it to him ourselves," but then there was a lot he wished he had been able to do and hadn't.

"You don't understand, he knows how to use it," Peeves waved his arms around wildly. "He will be able to see you on it!"

"No, he won't. The elf routes are not on the map so he can't find me here," it was amusing to see Peeves at a loss for words and he took the opportunity to bite into the sandwich while the Poltergeist was shocked into silence.

"Why didn't you include the elf routes on the map?" Peeves eventually managed to compose himself again just as he swallowed.

"James and I figured that we should leave emergency routes, even from our own handiwork in case it fell into the wrong hands."

"That's actually quite brilliant," Peeves mused as he deflated.

"Even more brilliant is the fact that I've hidden my presence to the map. Even when I leave the safety of the elf routes, the map won't detect me unless I want it to do so. Another feature we added just in case."

"And the reason you haven't tried to get your hands on the map is because you believe the traitor will be using the same feature?"

"No, I had hoped he would have forgotten about that and it was actually what I was doing in the castle when you found me. I broke into Filch' office to retrieve it, but it wasn't there so I searched in the library in the hopes someone had found it and had left it behind as a bookmarker or so since we put an Unbreakable Charm on it," he finished his sandwich. "But if Harry hasn't seen him on the map despite being nearby, then he probably remembered it and it wouldn't have been any use anyway."

"Right, speaking of the traitor, any idea on how to locate him yet?"

"Crooks told me he's constantly staying in Gryffindor Tower unless the Weasley kid takes him along, but he's not been able to communicate the password yet," he grumbled as he remembered the cat's complaints about the idiot who'd taken the Fat Lady's place.

"We'll have to be patient on that account; it will only be a matter of time before the Longbottom boy cracks and tries something to remember the constantly changing passwords."

"So you keep saying," shaking his head at the elf that tried to offer him another sandwich, Sirius sighed.

Anything Peeves might've said was drowned out by the silent alarm they'd set up beginning to flash and they both ducked into the elf quarters before whoever was approaching the kitchen with intent to enter could actually do so.

"So, what do we do until that crazy cat gets his paws on the password or the traitor leaves the Tower?" Peeves softly asked as they watched from a crack in the wall (as) the Weasley boys Sirius had saved in the forest enter the kitchen and greet the house-elves.

"We wait," was Sirius' simple answer.

And wait they did. It was nearing the end of February before Crook found him in the forest nearing the fall of night; once more having left the castle and dropped a piece of parchment before him.

Changing back into his human form to be able to examine it properly, Sirius realised it was a long list of passwords and he hurriedly put it safely away before changing back again so he could communicate with the cat properly.

' _How?'_

' _Scared boy, bad memory, marked down'_ bright eyes gleamed at him proudly. ' _Left on box beside nest, Crook stole for Padfoot.'_

' _Thank you!'_ He pushed as much gratitude as he could through to the cat, making the other animal stagger momentarily but straighten proudly. ' _Have to tell Pee- Cold, move quickly.'_

Crook followed him as they made their way towards the castle, telling him how his pup and his two friends were fighting once again; though both fell silent as they picked up voices near the edge of the forest and hid under the darkness of the trees to wait until the boys passed.

With a jolt, Sirius realised it were Harry and his Weasley friend; the one Crook called Loud Mouth, coming from the direction of the Quidditch pitch; his boy looking happier than he'd done in quite some time and his heart jumped as he spotted the broom his godson was carrying.

' _Pup like sweeping brush,'_ Crook noted cheerfully, brushing his tail over his dog snout playfully. ' _Pup not sad, Padfoot happier too.'_

' _Thank you.'_

Any other interaction between them abruptly broke off when the Weasley boy drew his wand as they'd both stopped right in front of their hiding spot and recognising the spell the redhead would no doubt use, Sirius dashed behind the bushes.

Light washed over Crook still hunched down in the scattered leaves and the redhead's face consorted into anger as he swooped down to grab a stone from the grass. "Get out of it!"

But before the boy could straighten with the stone, Crook had already dashed away and the boy dropped the stone back into the grass.

"See, probably washing down Scabbers with a couple of birds now," he sounded as angry as he looked and Sirius briefly wondered who he was talking about before he realised his godson was staring at the spot more than a little spooked; as if he had caught sight of him as a dog before he had hidden.

Remaining still, Sirius barely dared to breathe until the two continued on their way to the castle and made his way to one of the hidden entrances to find Peeves and show him the list.

Peeves was overjoyed to learn of Crooks' success and they planned to break into the tower the very next night after the Quidditch match; a match Sirius would be watching from the safety of the forest so he would not risk being seen again.

Harry played even better than he had done the previous time Sirius had watched him play, even if he was much too gallant to his opponent and he wondered if his godson liked the girl he was playing against as he hadn't held this much back against Hufflepuff the last time.

But even as he tried not to consider his godson being old enough to actually be interested in dating, he caught sight of three Dementor-like creatures appearing, though he immediately knew they were not real.

A few students screamed even as his godson drew his wand and shot off a spell without even looking back and Sirius' heart stopped.

A magnificent silver stag erupted from his godson's wand, charging at the idiots masquerading as Dementors; making the three trip and reveal themselves but Sirius could only stare at the familiar shape.

When had Harry learned the Patronus Charm and who had taught him? Did the boy know the significance of that specific animal or was it just a coincidence to him?

Wide green eyes caught his attention as he spotted Remus among the teachers on guard; his old friend looking as shaken by the sight of the familiar Patronus as he himself was.

Rooted to the spot, Sirius could only stare as his godson caught the snitch and was embraced by his team-mates as they won the match. He watched with pain in his heart as the group landed and Remus approached the boy and knew suddenly without a doubt that his old friend had been the one to teach him.

And while it hurt to know Remus was clearly growing closer to his boy, it also brought him comfort to know Harry wasn't completely alone and he retreated into the forest to return to the castle and get ready for that night; determined to catch Peter once and for all.

To make him pay for what he'd done, but perhaps also to let his godson learn that although his parents' deaths were his fault; he hadn't betrayed them and perhaps salvage what could have been by finally receiving a trial.

It felt like days passed before Pippy gave him the all clear that the students had all fallen asleep after their celebration party and not for the first time did he wish it was possible for a House-elf to Side-Apparate someone into the dormitories.

But the same magic that prevented the House portraits from giving the password to strangers also prevented House-elves from entering with someone who didn't belong there and if he was very honest with himself then he would have to admit he had always been grateful for the rule when he had been a student himself as it meant none of the Blacks had been able to surprise him in his sleep.

Transforming back into a human, he pulled out the list and crossed the corner; quickly gaining access to the tower from the new portrait guarding the entrance.

The idiot didn't even recognise him or gave him any trouble as he read the passwords off his list until he hit the right one and the portrait swung open to allow him access.

The Common Room was dark and eerily quiet, not even the fire burning and he mentally thanked the House-elves for trying to keep him from sight for as long as they could.

A quick sniff informed him Peter wasn't in the Common Room and hadn't been in it for at least a day, so he took a moment to simply look around the familiar circular room and let memories wash over him.

Memories of doing homework in one of the nooks, out of sight of everyone else; playing games in front of the fireplace; or even just spending time together doing absolutely nothing and he had to swallow back a lump as his eyes found the old love-seat and couch in front of the fireplace.

How many a night had he spent there with his friends before everything had gone to hell?

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he pushed the memories back down and made his way up the stairs to the third year dormitory; automatically letting his fingers slide over the crimson and gold wallpaper like he had done so often before.

Quietly opening the door, he quickly spotted the five occupied beds; cold shivers running down his spine as loud snoring came from one of the beds that reminded him uncannily of Peter.

Peter's scent was strongest in that direction as well and pulling out the knife Peeves had given him to defend himself with should Peter attack, he quietly strode over to slide the hangings aside enough to be able to look inside.

The sight of the Weasley boy fast asleep, snoring loudly wasn't unexpected as he had first seen Peter on this boys shoulder, but it was surprising that although Peter's scent was definitely strongest here, it was older than expected and it was clear the rat wasn't in the dorm any more.

Frowning as that didn't make sense and he knew the rat hadn't managed to slip by him, he looked around for any traces left behind; immediately spotting his godson's sleeping face through a small crack in the boy's hangings right in the next bed.

He looked calm and peaceful asleep, no weariness edged into his young face and Sirius had to consciously stop himself from tucking the boy in more properly to protect him from the cold night air.

Reining himself in, his attention was caught by something silvery grey and he stared at the familiar sight of James' invisibility cloak half hidden beneath several dusty books in Harry's trunk.

How many times had he seen James disappear underneath that same cloak; had he himself hidden underneath it during their mischief-making?

But even as he automatically reached towards it, movement from the corner of his eyes returned him to the here and now in time to see hazy eyes open as the boy he was half looming over woke up and for a moment they simply stared at each other before the boy's eyes slid to the knife Sirius was still loosely holding.

Reacting faster than the boy, Sirius tore into the hangings around the bed with the knife; dropping them over the boy while simultaneously summoning the cloak to him wandlessly and slinging it around himself so he would disappear from sight.

Knowing he would not make it out of the tower as the boy screamed and the other boys startled awake; he took their disorientation to gather his magic and slam the dormitory door closed to make it appear he had run, before retreating to hide beside the fireplace on the far side of the room even as a light turned on.

"Black! Sirius Black! With a knife!"

He watched with bated breath as the boys spoke with their terrified dorm mate for a long moment before they all scrambled out of bed and ran out of the dormitory; not even checking their own room, exactly as Sirius had been hoping.

He knew he needed to get out of there before anyone decided to either check the room or Harry missed his cloak, but also knew he was stuck for the time being when other doors opened and more voices rose.

Quietly he climbed up onto the window sill beside the furthest bed from Harry's, making sure he was still covered and hopefully out of the way when they came back to check the dorm as McGonagall would no doubt want to verify his story.

"It wasn't a nightmare!" the Weasley boy roared loud enough that Sirius could hear him all the way up there through the crack of the open door; not having been closed completely by the boys in their hurry. "Professor, I woke up and Sirius Black was standing over me, holding a knife!"

Wincing as he realised how it must have looked like to the boy, he cursed himself for having forgotten that he had still been holding it until the boy's eyes had found it.

It surprised him when no one made their way up to the dormitory; instead he listened as the students were told to remain where they were while McGonagall raised the alarm.

As long minutes changed into an hour, he realised there was no intention of checking the dormitory he had broken into and relaxing slightly he shifted to get more comfortable; a small smile crossed his lips at the familiar feeing of the fluid cloak around him.

Just for a moment it felt like James was still with him somehow; his warm presence around him and although things had clearly not gone according to plan and the rat had managed to outwit him once more, the trip had not been a complete waste.

It was worth the danger he was now in to now have seen his godson's peacefully sleeping teenage face; to have a solid and lasting memory to cherish of the young man his pup was becoming.

Even if it might turn out he would never manage to catch Peter and die trying; he at least had this much of his godson to remember for as long as he could.

Shaking his head to try and get rid of such miserable thoughts; he fought to focus on what was important right then, the fact that the traitor had gotten away once again.

Even if he might never see his godson look at him with anything other than hatred when awake; it was a price he was willing to pay if it meant stopping Peter and making him pay for what he'd done.

Grinding his teeth he wondered how Peter had managed to leave Gryffindor Tower without either him or Peeves knowing and where he had gone as he instinctively knew he would not return there.

"Sirius?" a whisper made him look up and he pulled out his hand to wave at the invisible ghost; causing a cold presence to settle beside him moments later.

They were both quiet for several long moments until Peeves' spoke.

"That went well."

An incredible urge to burst out in hysterical laughter rose in him, but he managed to choke it off and hum instead. "Could have gone better."

"Quick reflexes, though," Peeves commented dryly and this time Sirius allowed a small snort to escape as he knew the Poltergeist had to have seen at least part of what had happened to be able to make such a comment.

"Peter's not here."

"I gathered as much, bad timing?"

"I don't think so; his scent is more than a day old. I think he might have realised I was coming for him and ran again."

"So we are back to square one?"

"Sound..." the almost inaudible sound of the dormitory door cracking open just a fraction more made them both tense, but they relaxed again when Crook slipped past the crack to make his way inside.

The cat was clearly searching for someone, so Sirius concentrated so he could reach out with his mind.

' _Crook?'_

' _Padfoot,'_ immediately those orange eyes focused in his general direction and the cat made his way towards the window sill Sirius was hiding on. ' _Two-skin gone.'_

The cat looked utterly miserable as he stopped before him, seemingly able to sense his presence even if he looked curious as to why he could not see him. ' _Fake Crook kill, Two-skin ran.'_

So the traitor had faked his own death once more, letting someone else take the blame. Anger washed over Sirius at the unfairness of it all but he fought to push it down. Becoming angry wasn't going to change what had happened and it wouldn't help him right then.

He could become angry at a later time, when doing so would not endanger both of his companions and give himself away.

' _When?'_ It took a lot more out of him to communicate with Crook like this, but he didn't dare transform to make it easier.

' _After note stolen, Two-skin knew Crook help Padfoot,'_ the cat portrayed sadness and guilty at having let him down, something Sirius could not stand to see in his friend so he quietly opened up part of the cloak to reveal where he was exactly.

' _Come.'_

Crook hesitated only momentarily before he jumped onto the revealed legs, curling up in his lap while licking at his hand in apology.

' _Not Crook fault,'_ covering them both back up, Sirius brushed a hand over the ginger head. ' _Two-skin fault.'_

' _Crook hunt Padfoot, warn, too late.'_

' _Tried, thank you.'_

Leaning his head back against the window sill, he quietly informed the curious Poltergeist of what the cat had told him.

"Darn that traitor," several choice words quietly escaped Peeves' mouth; mindful of the students three floors below them. "Now what?"

"I don't know, I will have to hunt him down again," it helped to keep his emotions in check to pet Crook and thankfully the cat didn't seem to mind him doing so, leaning into his soft caresses. "But I first need to get away from here."

"We can call a House-elf once it's safe. They might not be able to take unauthorized people inside, but they can take them outside."

"Because that makes sense," Sirius scoffed.

"I never claimed that it did," he could easily hear the smile on Peeves' lips. "But it works in our favour now. We just have to wait until the students have returned to bed as they would no doubt hear the sound of Apparition."

"Fair enough, so I'm stuck here for the time being."

"I'll keep a look out in the common room, cause a diversion if the students return unexpectedly," the cold presence next to him shifted as the Poltergeist rose, seemingly pausing momentarily. "Let's hope your godson won't miss his father's cloak in the meantime."

"From the sight of where it was, I don't think he uses it too often," Sirius commented even as he wondered why that was. "It was half hidden underneath dusty books so with a little bit of luck he won't even think about it before going back to bed."

"If they come back to bed at all, I wouldn't be surprised if they're all staying in the Common Room after tonight."

"It wasn't my finest action," sighing, Sirius leaned back against the window sill again. "They will need to return eventually, though. Even if it is just to wash up and get dressed before breakfast."

"Fair point, let's both remain on guard either way," there was a hint of amusement in Peeves' voice even as he disappeared out of the door before Sirius count retort.

Knowing the Poltergeist was right, Sirius shifted slightly to sit more upright; making Crook look up to him curiously for a moment before settling back down.

He spend the night alternating between petting Crook and trying to listen for sounds; too tense to even attempt to rest and he was almost relieved when voices rose up again just after the arrival of dawn as McGonagall returned.

Minutes later Peeves alerted him that the students had been told to either return to bed or gather for breakfast as it seemed Sirius had once more escaped.

The mere thought made him want to chuckle as he really hadn't escaped at all, but he kept quiet as moments later dozens of footsteps came up the stairs and five boys reappeared in the dorm.

It came to no surprise to Sirius that they boys were getting dressed instead of returning to bed; taking the unexpected opportunity to observe his pup covertly as he interacted with his dorm mates.

It took him a long moment to realise the blond-haired boy who immediately made him think of Alice Longbottom was in fact her son Neville; though it was difficult to find any sign of the giggly toddler he remembered in this subdued and almost shy teenager.

A wave of sympathy and regret hit him as he thought of the boy's parents; having learned in Azkaban of what had become of his old friends. Though he had only learned of their fate at all because the guards had believed him to have been involved in their torture even though he had already been locked up by the time that happened.

He had cursed Frank and Alice for having come out of hiding so soon after the unexpected defeat of Voldemort and watching their son now as he only sparely joined into the conversation, he wondered if they were even still alive.

Because although there was nothing that could bring back James and Lily; he couldn't help but wonder if the same was true for Alice and Frank or if there was some way at least one of those two boys didn't have to live his life without his parents.

But even if there was, there was very little Sirius could do about anything in his current situation and his attention returned to his godson as he put those thoughts out of his mind.

All too soon Harry and his dorm mates disappeared back out of the door Crook slowly stretched in his lap, beginning to rise, but Sirius rested a hand on his back to keep him in place as footsteps hurried up the stairs again.

' _Wait.'_

He felt his breathing stock as Harry dashed back into the dormitory, heart hammering as his godson moved to his trunk but to his relief he only grabbed an achingly familiar parchment and tucked it into his robes before hurrying off again; no doubt hoping to use it to keep an eye out for him.

Listening to his godson's by now familiar footsteps walk down the stairs and through the Common Room, he breathed out in relief as they disappeared through the portrait hole and he let go of Crook.

But the cat remained in place this time and they listened in complete silence until the last footsteps disappeared out of the Common Room before Crook jumped off of his lap and Sirius carefully unfolded from his cramped position.

Peeves turned visible as Sirius slipped out of the cloak and carefully returned it to where he had found it; turning to the Poltergeist before taking a deep breath.

"Pippy?"He winced at the loud pop announcing the arrival of the small elf, not entirely sure some students hadn't taken the choice to return to bed and might hear the noise.

The little elf looked relieved to see him, Side-Apparating him back to the elf quarters before he could utter a word.

"Siri has to be mores careful," she softly berated him even as she pressed a bowl of plain porridge into his hands. "Eats here, Professors come and go. Its nots safe for Siri to be out."

"I will have to leave, the entire castle will be on high alert after this and I can't risk staying here," placing the bowl onto the small table, Sirius looked up as Peeves appeared through the ceiling.

"They won't find you here," the ghost quietly told him.

"I know, but I also won't be able to move around and I need to do that to be able to locate Peter again," taking a deep breath, Sirius met his eyes. "I am going to find him and when I do, I am going to rip him apart."

"What happened to catching him?" A single eyebrow rose.

"I think he had proven that isn't an option."

"Sirius..."

"No Peeves, I'm done. I won't risk him escaping again. When I find him again, I will kill him even if I will have to do so with my bare hands."

"You don't know where he is," Peeves pointed out, though he looked resigned like he knew he wouldn't be able to stop him from leaving this time.

"He won't have gone far. He can't risk being too far away from both a source of intelligence and Harry," flinching as long dirty hair fell over his shoulder as he moved, he pushed it back out of the way. "I'm not the only one who cursed his existence over and over again through the years, though I am the only one who knows he isn't actually dead."

"Are you sure this is what you want? What about Harry?"

"What about him?" Tensing at his godson's name, he turned back to the Poltergeist.

"What will he think when you kill Peter?"

"He betrayed James and Lily and I won't let him get away with that. Harry can't possibly think any worse of me than he already does, you said so yourself," swallowing thickly, he met Peeves' eyes. "He believes the truth he knows and maybe this latest failure means that truth is all he will ever know. But I can't risk him escaping again, I won't let him."

"Then let me help you, we'll hunt him down together," his old friend moved closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let's catch the rat and reveal the truth. Harry deserves to know the truth and you most certainly deserve for the truth to be revealed and that won't happen unless you catch the rat alive."

"You can't help me, not this time," reaching up to squeeze Peeves' hand, Sirius sighed. "I'm going to have to leave the castle again, hunt for him in the forest. I'll ask Crook to search the castle in the meanwhile, but I don't think he would be stupid enough to remain here when he knows he is being hunted. He will be hiding somewhere safe, but nearby and I just need to find that place."

"Then I will do what I can to help Crook, but even so you better stay in touch," Peeves' grip tightened. "Don't you dare do this all alone when you don't have to. Send that stupid cat by or call Pippy and for Magic's sake, eat as much as you can."

Looking down to see Peeves was holding up the disregarded bowl of porridge, Sirius deflated and accepted it.

"I'll try, but I'm leaving as soon as possible and won't come back until I find him. I need to hunt; do something instead of just sitting around hoping to catch a break that is clearly not meant to be."

Perhaps the ghost sensed it was no use arguing about this as he simply nodded and urged him to eat before ushering him into bed.

"You can't leave before night has fallen anyway so you might as well rest as much as you can while it's still possible."

Accepting the request, Sirius settled down for the day but knew that as soon as night fell, he would start his hunt and this time, he would not stop until he came face to face with the traitor no matter how much time it might take.

Months later he was only vaguely aware of his godson's familiar scent among the three teenagers chasing after Peter as he caught Wormtails scent and immediately gave chase himself; intent to finally end this once and for all.


	5. Chapter 5

Leaning back against the wall, he winced as the movement pulled on sore muscles and stilled so he wouldn't aggravate them even more; not that it mattered much as it would soon all be over anyway.

But as much as it should, the thought didn't frighten him and even the knowledge that the rat had escaped once more couldn't stop the singing in his heart.

"You look awfully happy for someone about to face a fate worse than death," Peeves' soft voice commented as he came to rest beside him.

"I have every reason to be," he smiled even as tears gathered in his eyes but he made no move to wipe them away this time as they were not of grief. "Harry knows the truth, he and Remus both do."

"So I've heard, you didn't get Peter, though."

"They'll get him eventually and they'll have better luck than I had," reaching out, he squeezed his old friend's hand. "Thank you, for everything you've done for me."

"Don't speak as if this is the end, we'll get you out of here," Peeves growled, pulling away.

"I don't see a way out of this; the window is magically sealed and even though I can break through it, we're too high up to escape through there and I'm too drained to even attempt to break through these wards, even if I had a wand in my possession," he closed his eyes, continuing in a whisper. "I'm tired Peevsie, I'm so tired of always having to fight."

"Siri..." a cold hand found his again as the Poltergeist trailed off. "You can't give up now, Harry needs you."

"Does he? He's formidable for one so young," despite himself, a smile found its way to his lips again. "Stubborn and quite mad, too."

"And utterly loyal. But then, what else would you expect from a boy carrying both your and James' blood?"

"They would be immensely proud of him," carefully rising to his feet, Sirius made his way to the magically locked window. "He didn't want us to kill Peter; said James wouldn't have wanted us to become murderers."

"Sounds remarkably like you once did when James wanted to kill the Blacks for their actions."

Flickering his eyes away from the dark world outside, Sirius met Peeves' dark ones. "Maybe we were both gullible."

"Perhaps," the Poltergeist came close. "But you don't really believe that, do you?"

"No," Sirius sighed. "But that doesn't mean I don't still want him dead."

"With good reason and who knows, you might still get your chance some day," dark eyes bore into his. "But you need to be alive to be able to get that chance."

"Is this your version of a pep talk?" Bemused Sirius squeezed Peeves' hand. "Because as sweet as it is, I wasn't lying when I said I don't see a way out of this."

"We'll think of something, we have to," reaching out with his other hand, Peeves brushed his thumb over Sirius' cheek. "I'm not letting you die here, no matter what."

"You might not have a choice."

"We'll see about that, but you should sit down for now before you keel over," Peeves eyed his cuts and bruises warily and bullied him down into the chair again. "What happened?"

"Had to stop Moony from harming the children, but he was much stronger than I remember him being."

"You are not exactly in top shape," the Poltergeist pointed out, looking up at sounds outside of the office.

"You should leave before they discover you here."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Then at least turn invisible so they can't see you. I don't want you to get into trouble because of me."

"I'm a Poltergeist, trouble is what I live for," but Peeves did as he was asked.

"We should discuss how we're going to get you out of here. Hogwarts can't undo these wards, but maybe Pippy can break through them."

"She can't, these are Flitwick's specialized wards. They are made specifically to hold out magical beings."

"Would you be able to break through them if I gave you access to my magic?"

"I don't know, I might," Sirius leaned back in the chair. "I would need to combine our magic to hide your signature and be in constant contact with you, but in theory it should be possible."

"Then let's do that," the lingering cold moved closer as Peeves undoubtedly held out a hand for him but before Sirius could so much as move a knocking caught his attention and he looked up to the surprising sight of his godson hovering before the window on a Hippogriff.

Scrambling to his feet, he hurried over to the window even as Peeves exclaimed in disbelief.

Harry's friend, Hermione, pulled out her wand and undid the magical charm on the window without a problem, but Sirius could only stare at the sight in disbelief. "How...how..."

"Get on, there's not much time!" Harry yelled at him. "You've got to get out of here, the Dementors are coming. Macnair's gone to get them¹."

Without thinking Sirius wiggled through the small window, thanking Merlin for being so thin and slid onto the Hippogriff behind the girl.

"Ok Buckbeak, up," Harry ordered the animal. "Up to the tower, come on!"

The uneven flight of the Hippogriff as it rose was uncannily familiar as he remembered flying around on them years before and he had no problem keeping his balance even as he reached out to steady the girl seated before him as she slipped.

Her hair whirled wildly in the wind and he had to bite back a smile as Crooks' entirely accurate name for his owner flashed through his mind momentarily.

The animal landed on the top of the West Tower and both teens slid off immediately but Sirius sensed he wasn't supposed to get off so only slid forward.

"Sirius, you'd better go quick," familiar green eyes looked up to him. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment; they'll find you've gone."

"What happened to the other boy? Ron?" He had to ask even if he sensed the urgency there was in leaving, feeling guilty for the boy's injury.

"He's going to be okay," Harry told him urgently and Sirius couldn't help but drink in the sight of his boy properly this time.

"How can I ever thank..."

"Go!" both teens shouted, interrupting him and clicking his tongue, the Hippogriff turned around.

"We'll see each other again, I promise. You are truly your father's son, Harry..."

The Hippogriff seemed to sense something as he suddenly took off before Sirius could add anything else, swallowing his happiness at being given the chance to get to know his godson properly.

Glancing back he just saw the small dots of his godson and the girl disappear inside before his eyes fell onto the open window to see Peeves hovering just outside it and waving happily at him.

Waving back although he was fairly sure the ghost wouldn't be able to see it from the rapidly growing distance, he turned back to brush a hand over the Hippogriff's flank and concentrated.

' _Thank you.'_

The wave of acceptance washing over him mentally told him the animal wasn't capable of sentient communication like Crook was, but the Hippogriff´s soft stroke of friendliness also informed him he was capable of understanding human speech.

"I'm Sirius, am I right in having heard Harry call you Buckbeak?" He combined it with a mental image of Harry, getting both a confirmation and a questioned feeling send back.

"Yes, he is mine," smiling, Sirius glanced back at the by now nearly invisible castle one more time before he brushed a hand over the soft feathers of Buckbeak's neck. "Let's get somewhere safe."

As they disappeared into the clouds to make their way to Merlin knew where, Sirius knew they had to leave for now, but even so he fully intended to keep his promise of seeing his godson again, no matter what else might happen.

"Let's find an owl office somewhere far from here," he told Buckbeak and strong wings shot them forward as the animal accepted his intention without question.

Maybe he could start with a letter and an apology offer to the red haired boy for what had happened before bombing his godson with all the things he wanted to ask and tell him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

¹ Most of the words spoken from here have been taken directly from Prisoner of Azkaban chapter 21: Hermione's Secret.


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